Everyone was staring at the sleeping woman. She had collapsed in the arms of Thea the Cretor woman, Camille the Theosian one barking orders to the group of gaping soldiers. They had all watched as she wandered from table to table, watching as she slowly deteriorated through each one. She was a sight to behold as she did so, looking like an absolute angel sent from heaven. Even when she was coughing up blood as her soul became damaged from overwork, her nose bleeding and her veins turning black from mana poisoning, her face was soothing. She went to every person, making sure they were healed whether it was a broken bone or a fatal injury all the while pleading to the gods to be able to save more. Everyone was in awe of her selfless actions, but no more so then Jayce. He had followed her from the tent shortly after she had left. He had wanted to apologize for his rough treatment. When he opened his eyes for a split second he thought someone had come to kill him. He wasn't in his right mind and hurt her severely. He recognized her instantly just from her hair and felt his heart swell with intense burning pain.
Mercy Roswell. She was a adorable as she looked the first time he met her at the Spigen Ball. Just like the first time he met her, he felt his heart flutter. The same face that had been beautifully haunting his dreams was right in front of him. Only this time, her eyes were filled with fear, hurt and anger not the sympathetic and sincer ones he saw back then. He wanted to get close to her selfishly again like he was able to at the ball. After how he acted earlier, he was certain that she wouldn't let him do that again. When she left the tent after such a cold tone, he thought his heart would shatter right then and there.
Why was she here? She should have been back it the capital, not at such a dangerous expedition. He had been trying to get information on her after their fateful encounter, only to hear that she was supposedly bedridden from the mana exhaustion she had at the ball. She was apparently so fragile that it was why she was never revealed to have magic in order to spare her life. He had been worried sick about her since then, often sending flowers under other peoples names. He was afraid that if his was labeled as the sender she wouldn't accept them. He was even more confused since everyone he spoke to was referencing him as Rhea from Jarlsvic. He knew it was Mercy, but there must have been a clear reason she was hiding her identity, and why her family was lying so he stayed quiet and took the honor of watching her. He watched as she worked with one arm as Camille and Thea wrapped up the hand that he accidently shattered. His heart hurt as he saw that. He gripped his hands into first so hard that his nails dug into his skin. Small drops of blood ran from his fingers. He was boiling with guilt and anger as he saw them made a makeshift sling for her. He was also tense and angry at the man touching her. He didn't have to touch her for so long after putting on a sling. Jayce wanted to be the one to be there to touch her, but he couldn't move from where he was standing in fear. Afraid that if he got too close she would shatter like glass. They finished adjusting her as she was healing. He couldn't even imagine the pain she was in, draining her mana several times and having it recharged. Doing that once is unbearable. She did it six times until she was showing severe signs of mana poisoning. It happened when mages drained their magic too much with their life force, or when they discharged all their mana too many times close together. She was the ladder. Classic signs were black veins that felt like fire was going through them, muscles soreness, fatigue, vomiting blood, nosebleeds, and hallucinations. The more she did it, the more at risk she was for dying from it. He was keeping an eye on her to make sure that no signs of that was happening. The biggest sign being seizures that she would convulsed into shortly before death. If that happened her only chance would be if he intervened with his secret. He was almost bouncing on the spot like a child in anxiety, the knights around him looking at their captain in shock. Their usual stoic, strict snd scary hardass of a captain was bouncing like an infant while staring at a woman no less. He avoided contact with everyone, only giving hard glares and harsh threats. Now he openly looked like a puppy trying to not leave the spot its master said to stay. His eyes never left Mercy as she was carried through the tent, barely conscious. He almost ran to her right then and there but held back. He had to wait until she couldn't go anymore, otherwise he couldn't be sure that he wouldn't drag her out if the tent that instant to stop her pain. It must have been physical torture. She swept in like a whirlwind, no casualties amoung any of the ranks of the three nations. Not even the healers guild was able to do that when when have five healers here. They refused to do mana transference, so if they got low enough to make themselves feel feverish they usually refused to do any more. To hell with the lives they could save. Jayce felt his heart beating so fast he thought that he was vibrating on the spot. When she collapsed, that was when his will broke. He pushed past the crowd that was grouping around her in a suffocating manner. His vision flashed red with rage as they engulfed her selfishly.
"Back up! Give her space!" He yelled, making everyone flinch at his angry tone. Most of them moved, a few foreign knights stare at him with disdain. He shot them glares right back steely and cold like ice. There were five who dared to stand in his way, five he noted to take care of later for doing so. He could only take so much internal torture of watching her destroy herself before he stepped in. The men looked shocked to see Jayce right there as soon as her body hit the ground. She had landed on Thea who brought her onto her lap. Camille had her hands on Mercy's bright red face. They were glowing an icy blue from the use of water magic. He knelt down, placing his corpse cold hands against her soft heart shaped face. She was burning up, her skin feeling like it was in fire. Her hair was wet with sweat, her entire body covered in black veins and flushed red. Her breathing was heavy and harsh like her lungs were made of glass. All the soldiers surrounded her like a barrier from the world around her. Whispers of concern and praise surrounded them as everyone acted quickly to stabilize her.
"She healed everyone singlehandedly."
"She's a hero."
"I've never seen a healer like this before."
"A Saint! She's a Saintess!" The voices were annoying him, but he was secretly happy that she was being praised so well. In his arms he could feel only a flicker of mana in her chest. She wasn't seizing which was a good sign, but he knew what he had to do. He looked around as his subordinates barked and clicked around him, all inexperienced with this situation.
"We don't have another healer! Her fingers are broke, shoulder is sprained and her fever won't go down." Camille hissed, still desperately bringing her fever down. She started to make a startling wheezing sound in her sleep. First thing was first, her fever had to be brought down immediately. It shook him to his core to do this, but Jayce reached out and gently touched her forehead as her cheeks were occupied by Camille's. His mind flashed to back at the ball, when his bare hand touched her soft skin for the first time. Her forehead was much hotter than back then, but the warmth tickled his soul. Right now she felt like the sun. He had been cursed to live with a corpse cold body, feeling numb and minimal. Ever since he first touched her skin he was drawn to her overwhelming warmth. Even when her fever was brought down she just exuded a warmth that left his insides feeling like butterflies were tickling him. He followed his same actions of that day. Being mana exhausted was severe, but having her drained on top of it made the threat even worse. His cold mana of death was something he hated and would never want something impure to touch her delicate skin or soul. However, since it was the opposite of light magic it brought her temperature down for being as cold as ice. He reluctantly let his mana flow into her, the redness in her face gradually falling as he did so.
"Her fever is going down." Camille's words cut the tension in the tent. Everyone was holding their breathe when the captain got involved. Her ghastly appearance certainly made everyone fear for her life.
"What do we do about these?" Thea dragged one if her fingers across the black capillaries on Mercy's delicate hand. Jayce could feel his anger flaring up at the intimate touch. He wanted to slap her hands away but there were too many eyes staring. He hold himself back even though everything in him was screaming to grab the girl and run from prying eyes. Thea placed it back on her stomach quickly, making his feelings of anxiousness go away.
"We need to get her some space. Where's her quarters?" Camille and Thea flinched at the question, probably feeling his dark anger dripping off of him. Everyone was looking between each other in either confusion or concern.
"Er, Lupin... he..." Camille tried to clear her throat and keep her gaze from the man with her magic pouring into the cheeks.
"That bastard told her to sleep on the ground in this tent." Thea blurted outlook, deadpan and serious. The soldiers flinched and everyone took a big step back in sync. He heard a cracking sound in his ears, like bone crushing bone. It was a sound for pure rage. It was like his body had gone numb from the words, and the people that could took another step back. They knew the captain well enough to know what be looked like before he exploded. He had never been upset for such a reason either, which was more terrifying. They didn't know what would happen. Meanwhile it was even more horrific then what they could have imagined.
'Lupin dared to make my Mercy sleep on the ground?' His mind raced, his free hand reaching out and grasping her now free good hand gently despite his growing rage. He was going to find that stupid man and make him suffer for his rough treatment of such a precious being. His racing mind found no other logical choice in bedding.
"You two follow me." He snarled at the two women who both looked very unimpressed with his low and growling voice. He reached over, looping his arms around her knees and shoulders delicately to hoist her up. He was carrying her like a princess, feeling her warm small body against his chest. Her silky hair now sticky with blood was resting on his shoulder, eyes squeezed shut in pain. People were whispering but with one glare they quieted down quickly. He jerked his head to the side as Thea and Camille were still on the ground looking a little dumbfounded and confused. He didn't say a word, just sprinted outside ignoring the scared and confused faces of soldiers who saw him cradling a woman so close and so delicately. His logical mind came up that clearly his tent would be the best for her to stay in. He was the safest to be around, and his secret could more or less save her life.
"Sir, where are you going?" Camille jogged up to him, Thea not far behind as he zipped through the crowd. He didn't answer, just ran towards the red flag in the air marking the location if his tent. They caught in quickly and started to whisper amongst themselves as they got closer.
"Are you bringing her to your tent?" Thea barked as they got closer. He didn't answer because he didn't feel like he had to.
"Don't you think that's a little extreme?" Her continuation made his blood boil. Extreme? Nothing was too extreme for the woman in his arms to him. The first person to actually look at him and wish him the world to him deserved the world. They approached the tent only to see a sight he was used to. Jubilee was smacking Ezekiel in the head like she was in the tent when Mercy was there, her pointed fey ears bright red. He looked uninterested as he always did until he saw Jayce running towards him. His eyes darted down to Mercy in his masters arms and he immediately reached out and grabbed Jubilee, forcibly turning her towards Jayce so she could see her. He wrapped his large slender hand over her chatty mouth so she couldn't say anything and forced her to make a small bow with him.
"Your grace. Do you require any assistance?" Jayce just walked past him with a glare, trying to hide Mercy from his jeweled gaze. Jubilee was wriggling in his grasp clearly trying to say something.
"The four of you wait out there until I say so."
"Excuse me!" Camille was not happy with his harsh words.
"What are you going to do to that young lady? Why do you want her alone if you wanted Thea and I here?" He flinched a bit at her accusatory tone, feeling his ears start to be as his mind wandered for a moment. He needed to do his secret to save her but he didn't know what to tell the two people he dragged her.
"I'm just going to get her settled into bed. You all should find her belongings from Lupin so you can change her." He whipped up the excuse on the fly. They didn't look pleased. In fact Camille looked incredibly wary and nervous, but they knew they couldn't argue with he man. Jubilee was still making muffled talking noises but Ezekiel held her firm. Without another word Jayce walked into his spacious and luxurious tent, beelining it for the bed in the back of it. He placed her down gently on the makeshift bed, placing the soft pillows around her to make her as comfortable as possible. He drowned her in a soft fleece blanket so only her face was peeking out. He was trembling in nerves, feeling a little flushed and embarrassed as he realized what had to be done. He sat next to her small frame, placing his hands on Mercy's delicate face. It was like he was dreaming, tracing the black veins around her adorable face. He took a few deep breaths in trying to focus his shaking breath. In the royal family, the breath of Kore was a power that was only those of royal blood could use. Since it was seen as the opposite of the Curse of Hel, no one knew that the Hraesvelgr family held that ability as well. They were of royal blood after all. Now he just had to steel himself so he could go through with it. He could feel his cold palms sweating profusely, looking at the angelic face before him. It was love at first sight and it was painfully obvious to him. He didn't want to do something she wouldn't like, but he knew he had to do it to save her life.
"Please forgive me." He whispered into the empty air. He took in an icy breath before leaning over her. Her warm breath fanned is face as he dipped down and captured her lips in his. He pushed felt a numbness in his lips as he did so, activating the Breath as he touched her. He could feel her warmth beneath him, and he started to tremble as he pulled away. The kiss lasted only a few seconds but to him it was like time stopped. He never even realized that he closed his eyes when he did so. He felt a little dizzy from the use of the ability, but when he opened his eyes the veins on her face were running away. She was still pale but her complexion looked a lot better. Her breathing was easier and she turned her head and snuggled into fleece blanket. His face exploded into flame which had never happened to him before. His heart was pounding painfully but he was trembling as he touched his lips. It was his first kiss. Even though it was only for medical purposes, he couldn't help but smile. For the past six months he had been dreaming that his first kiss would be with Mercy. It wasn't how he wanted it but he was happy none the less.